On second glance, they’re actually completely different – and not nearly as cute, either. They are, however, significantly cheaper, at just £38, and they do have a lot to recommend them: I particularly like the slightly unexpected colours, which seem very wintry, in shades of dark grey and purple. These also come with a thick heel, which balances out the high platform a little.
They’re also available in plain black, and you can click here to buy them at Very.
The fact that these are just simple, classic court shoes should mean that there’s really nothing about them worth writing home about. I beg to differ, however: I think that gorgeous blue upper really IS worth talking about, and while we’re on the subject, how about the gold and pink versions, too? All three of these pretty much jumped off the page at me, despite their non-remarkable shapes, and they’re the kind of shoes I can imagine owning for years, and wearing non-stop, to the point where the cost-per-wear of the £40 investment would be down to mere pennies. (Well OK, maybe not the glitter versions: I’d find those harder to get the use out of, but I’d definitely give it my best shot!)
These are actually available in a range of other, more toned-down colours, too: there’s a black suede, and a couple of shades of brown, so if you’re looking for something a little more classic – or just like the idea of owning the same shoe in multiple colours (Not that I’d ever advocate doing such a thing, of course. Ahem.) – these could be worth a look. Click here to take your pick.
Zebra print shoes aren’t quite as popular as their cousins, the leopard print shoes (Can zebra and leopards be said to be “cousins”. Only when we’re talking about shoes…), but they’re every bit as loud, and every bit as wild. (I’ll let you insert your own “walk on the wild side” joke here: I just can’t quite bring myself to do it.)
Why do we see so many leopards, and so few zebras on footwear? Well, those bold stripes aren’t exactly the easiest print to wear, although, done right, they can definitely add an interesting twist to your look: imagine these worn with something like a black pencil skirt, for instance.
These shoes are called ‘Swagger’ – presumably because you’ll walk with one when you wear them – and they’re also available in black and red suede. What do you think of them, though? I have three pairs of leopard print shoes and not one zebra: or any other animal prints, for that matter. What about you?
I loved Office’s floral print ‘Simple Minds’ pumps when they came out last summer, but I couldn’t imagine having the opportunity to actually wear them, so I resisted buying them… and then quickly regretted it when they sold out, and I decided that, why, I’d have been able to wear a pair of skyscraper, floral print heels just about ANYWHERE. I mean, where wouldn’t you be able to wear those shoes? (Don’t answer that, let me have my little dream…)
The blue ‘Simple Minds’ pumps are long gone (Office re-released them in black and red this year), but… not quite, because when I was looking at the Chokers website recently, I spotted these ‘Flora’ pumps, which bear more than a passing resemblance to them. The print is subtly different, and the shape isn’t as nice, but they do look very much like ‘Simple Minds’, no?
The price, however, is very different. These are just £32, and you can click here to buy them.
I’ve had my beady little eyes on these shoes fir a while now, and I bet I don’t have to explain why, do I?
First up, is the colour. It’s the perfect shade of turquoise/pale green – I could look at it all day, and while the fact that Schuh have added a metallic flower embellishment in the same colour certainly helps add to the effect, these would’ve been almost as striking without it, thanks to that gorgeous shade of green. I’m also really liking the trend for chunkier heels that’s going on at the moment: these are 4.7″ high, but still look like they’d be relatively comfortable – and don’t worry, there’s also a concealed platform, to make them feel lower than they are.
These are also available in black, and are £75. Click here to buy them.
I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to think of Mary Janes as a rather “sweet and innocent” kind of style. These ones? Not so much. Oh, there’s nothing particularly outrageous about them, granted, but that towering heel and platform makes for a very strong silhouette, and while the colour isn’t the brightest blue around, it’ll make a nice alternative to black, and is a shade you don’t see a whole lot of.
If you’re not convinced, however, worry not: these are also available in a very unusual apricot shade, as well as in brown, off-white and black suede. Here’s the apricot version:
I can’t quite make up my mind about it. What do you think?
You just can’t avoid floral print as this time of year, so you may as well embrace it, as far as I’m concerned. These floral peep toes are from River Island, and are anything but demure, what with that 6″ heel and giant platform: skyscrapers, indeed!
I really like the purple background on these shoes: it’s fresh, and a little different, and it works perfectly with the red and white flowers.
